I swallow down the tight feeling rising in my throat.
“Sounds like a challenge,” I say with a nervous giggle, trying to hide the way my chest aches a little at the thought.
After trying three wedding dresses that were amazing and fit like gloves, Derek steps in, holding a dress in his hands like it’s spun from morning mist and stardust.
“I finished this a few days ago,” he murmurs, “and I had no idea who it was for. Until now.”
He helps me step into it gently, moving with precision and reverence. As the fabric slides over my skin, I can already feel the weight of it—elegant but light.
When I turn toward the mirror, something in my chest stutters.
I don’t cry easily. I don’t do vulnerable.
But seeing myself in that dress? It undoes me.
My breath catches, my eyes sting. It’s not just a dress.
It’s a promise.
When I walk back out into the showroom, Sebastian immediately moves toward me, stopping dead in his tracks.
“Isabel…” he smiles.
I nod, swallowing hard as I try to find my voice. “I… I found it,” I whisper, my throat tightening around the words. The moment feels surreal—like I’m standing in a dream I never let myself believe could come true.
The fabric flows like liquid around my legs, soft and perfect, hugging my body in all the right places.
“I sent him into the other room,” Sebastian says with a mischievous smirk, winking at me like we’re co-conspirators in the most sacred secret. “Groom’s not allowed to see the dress before the big day, remember?”
That simple word—groom—makes my chest flutter in a way that has nothing to do with the fit of the gown.
I blink quickly, trying to keep the tears from falling. “Thank you,” I murmur, my voice thick with emotion.
Sebastian shrugs like it’s nothing, but his smile is warm and proud. “That’s what a best man does,” he says, nodding toward someone behind him before giving me a big thumbs-up like a proud older brother.
“See?” Derek adds, stepping in and gently closing the door behind him. “Told you this one was made for you.”
I turn slowly back to the mirror, placing a hand on my chest as I take it in again. My eyes glisten, lips trembling just slightly.
After taking the wedding dress off and wearing back my clothes, we join the men.
Derek gives a little bow. “The bride knows when it’s the one.”
Nate, smiles. “I know it may be a little last minute but we’d love to have you at our wedding.”
“I never turn down champagne and chaos,” Derek replies with a grin, “London is also on my bucket list.”
Sebastian raises his glass. “To the perfect dress. And to people crazy enough to believe in forever.”
We all clink flutes and for the first time, I don’t just feel ready for the next chapter.
I feel home.
Monday
I turn around in this bed like it’s on fire. The silk sheets are cool against my skin, but my mind is anything but still.
We're getting married tomorrow.
